Devil's Tears
by xobebu
Summary: Post-Meteor. Tifa lives her life feeling lonely and yearns for the love that Cloud could never give her. Soon, new forces of evil are threatening the Planet and once again Tifa and the gang are fighting to save it. So who's that handsome newcomer? TxS R


**Author's Notes:** Hi! I'm xobebu, nice to meet you all. This is my first fanfic. I acutally started this a few years ago, and decided to pick up on it again. I heart FFVII. :D Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it! PS. Sorry, it's a little on the short side right now... :P

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII and all uses of names are copyrighted to Squaresoft Inc.

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Yet Another Day**

It was a bright morning and the sun's rays had just made its way over to Tifa's bedroom window. Tifa woke up to the warm light gently beating down her delicate face. She looked at her adorable chocobo clock on her nightstand that Cloud had given her for her birthday years ago, and began to think about her childhood friend. Frowning from the distant emptiness in her heart, she realized that it was a quarter before eight. Tifa bolted up.  
"Oh my gosh! Today's the anniversary! I have to meet Irene at the bar!" she exclaimed as she quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.  
A bird chirped in a nearby tree, acknowledging a fair day ahead. Tifa walked over to her balcony and opened her window. A cool breeze swept through her silky, chestnut-colored hair and caressed the soft and creamy skin of her shapely body. She took a deep breath of fresh air and momentarily forgot about her hurry as she gazed afar at the scenic view of gray and charcoaled mountains that stood behind the houses of Nibelheim. She sighed contently, her mind locked in a morning daze. Then a voice called out her name.

"Tifaaa!" She looked down towards the town square. A young and pretty blonde girl dressed in a white blouse and a brown skirt with knee-high boots waved at her.  
"Irene!" she gasped.  
"Oh, so you're finally awake huh?"  
"Sorry, I overslept." Tifa replied sheepishly.

"Uh huh. So get your butt down here already before I have to come up and drag you. We've got a bar to open and people to serve!" Irene threatened with her hands on her camber hips.

Tifa laughed. "Alright, alright. But I seriously doubt that you can drag me down anyway," she responded, acknowledging herself that she was an excellent martial artist.

"Hmph!" Irene retorted as she began walking away. "Hey, Reney! Wait up! You don't even have the keys!" Tifa cried as she ran downstairs.

The sun slowly crawled up into the partly cloudy sky, radiating its hazy rays on the town. The streets of Nibelheim had begun to become alive with townspeople as they came out of their homes to run their daily tasks. Shops were opened for the day as signs were flipped "Open" to welcome customers.

Tifa caught up with the playful Irene, teasing her for her actions. Tifa nipped her arm with her fingers. "Ow! You don't have to go and pinch me!" "Well, that was for you leaving me back there!" "Excuuse me! Who was the one who overslept? Let me guess, you were thinking about him again?" Irene questioned, raising her eyebrow as her crystal blue eyes stared at Tifa. "Oh, be quiet!" Tifa flustered, quickly walking ahead of her. The blonde girl eyed her with a grin and followed.

"So how long has it been since you've last seen him, Cloud?" Irene asked as she walked behind Tifa.

"Almost two and a half years. After the Meteor event, everyone went their separate ways. We all agreed to meet up once a year to celebrate Meteor's fall and catch up on things. Cloud and I came back to Nibelheim and return to our normal lives. I opened a bar and named it Cloud Nine, after the man himself. I ran the bar everyday and Cloud always stopped by. Then one day he came in and told me that he had to leave. He told me he couldn't do live this life anymore. He said he was sorry and needed to figure some things out. The next thing I knew, he turned around and walked out of the bar… he walked out of my life…" Tifa explained. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she walked faster ahead.

"Tifa..." Irene responded as she caught up with Tifa, sensing her friend's sorrow. "It's okay Irene, I'm alright." Tifa quickly replied. "Anyway, shortly after he left, I met you. Didn't you also move from Midgar?" Tifa questioned, quickly changing the subject.

Irene smiled as she sensed that her friend no longer wanted to stay on the topic. "That's right. I wanted to get out of that dreary life in Sector 4. I wanted to go out and see the world. I traveled for a while and decided to settle here in Nibelheim, where it's nice and clean. And also 'cause I met you!" Irene grinned. She lightly punched Tifa in the arm.

Tifa chuckled. "Now, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Tifa said as she cracked her knuckles. "You wouldn't hit me!" Irene gasped. "You're right, I wouldn't. I still need a temporary bar manager while I'm gone." Tifa winked. The girls started laughing.

After their brief walk, the two girls arrived at the bar, Cloud Nine. "This place always brings back memories... Avalanche… Midgar... 7th Heaven... Cloud..." Tifa said softly as she rattled the key in the door. After a deep sigh, Tifa turned around and smiled brightly. "Well! Today's the day when the group's suppose to meet up in Cosmo Canyon for our 4th year commemoration of the Meteor event. I should be back in a couple of days. I'll assume that you can take care of things here until I get back?" she said in an almost superior tone and handed Irene the keys.  
"Of course! I only have the world's greatest bartender as my friend!" Irene beamed. A smile came across Tifa's lips.

"Oh! By the way, did you bring the mogberry pie?" Tifa remembered.  
"Right here." Irene replied as she handed over a package.  
"Thanks Reney." Tifa said. She gave a quick hug and started out on her trip to Cosmo Canyon.

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A man woke up to the startling sound of birds chirping in the treetops. He sat up from a flowerbed that lay beneath him and grimaced from the soreness in his body.  
"What is this place?" he muttered as he checked his surroundings.  
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and illuminated the area with a strange blue hue. It highlighted the rocks that lay around and the green grass that danced in the soft breeze. His mako green eyes darted around until it trailed up to an old structure. There was a lake beside it that was encompassed with marbled stepping-stones. Suddenly, a memory raced across his mind.

_A girl in a pink dress knelt at the alter.  
"Ah...the Cetra. She is an obstruction to my plans," the man thought as he stood behind a pillar in the balcony.  
"...Sephiroth...kill her..." a hoarse voice trailed through his mind.  
His eyes narrowed down on the girl. "Yes, mother..." he whispered. He raises his blade and jumps off the balcony._

Sephiroth laughed, leering at the thought, "Ha ha haa... This is the Ancient's Shrine. I remember now. What was her name? Oh yes... Aeris. How unfortunate that she had to have her life ended that way." As quick as he ended that sentence, a sharp pain in his head forced him to crouch down with his hands on his temples. His green eyes widened as he glared at the floor.  
"Arrg. What is this?" he demanded. Specks of memories flashed in the man's mind.

"_Meteor… Cloud… Lifestream… Jenova…"_  
"...Jenova?" Sephiroth questioned as a picture of a mutated creature appeared before his mind. He smirked and shook his head in amusement. "What am I thinking?"  
He stood up and dusts his broad shoulders. He looked over to his right as saw his sheathed Masamune lying against a large boulder. Sephiroth went over and picked it up. A light wind picked up and the trees began to sway. Silver tendrils of hair lazily waved behind him as he began walking away from the shrine.


End file.
